Rot and Rise/Issue 9
The jeep stopped halfway in the street. Alice was starting to have second thoughts about Russell. Who would stop a big vehicle in the middle of a street full of corpses? She tapped on his shoulder and asked him. "What are you doing?" she asked, startled. "They're gonna eat us if we get off the car!". Rob woke up and looked a round, sick to his stomach. "Where... are we? Is the... the... doctor h-here?" he asked. -"Chill, you guys" said Russell, opening the door. I'm gonna call the guys at he watchtower so they can open up the door. If we show up out of the blue, they're gonna take time inspecting us and opening the door. So just sit back and relax. This'll take no time" Alice sighed and sat back, looking at a sickly and pale Rob. His eyes were lost in the pattern of the seats, and his beard was dripping blood. His cheeks were skinnier and boney. "What... do... do I look... like some... some c-clown to you?" he asked in a soft tone. Alice chuckled and looked away. There was not a lot of time to save Rob from the infection. She called out to see if Russell was done with the call. "Russell!" she screamed, sticking her head out the window. The man ran back to the car and jumped in it. "Okay, we gotta go quick" he stuttered. "The call drew a few of those cocksuckers". Alice kicked his seat and hurried him. "Then let's go, dammit! Rob's losing a lot of blood!" -"Look, I'm trying to fucking help you!" screamed Russell, speeding the car. "If you ain't happy with what we do to protect ourselves, then you can be my fucking guest and get the fuck off our camp". Alice froze and sat back. It was true that she had been hurrying him a lot, but in a way, she was right. Rob was about to die, and if they didn't act quick, he would turn and eat them until only bones remain. "I'm sorry for going batshit on you guys. I'm not like that, it's okay. I'm just kind of stressed for what Ethan will say about you guys. This one time we brought a girl in. She was injured pretty bad, and the dick said we should quarantine her or some shit because she was probably bitten. Man, fuck him" -"It's okay, man. I understand. Just, please, hurry up. Rob's started to bleed a lot. We gotta get to that doctor you say fast" said Alice. -"I'm still... still... still here... dammit" said Rob, frowning at Alice. -"Don't worry. I'll take him to the nursery as soon as we get there" said Russell, speeding ahead. Behind the dashboard he saw a white mural covered in vines. On top of it, there was a small wooden structure where two men stood. "Well, look at that. We're here, kid" he said, slowly. Ahead of them stood a smaller hotel with white walls covered in vines. It had steel gates and a hut on top of it, where two men with guns stood, watching over the perimeter. There was not much else to see, as the walls covered most of the inside. Russell stuck his head out the window and screamed. "Antonio! The door! Hurry up, man!". To his surprise, the gates weren't open, even though he gave the signal. Roughly, both doors opened and gave way to the jeep, which sped into the hotel. "God, I hate that fucking guy..." said Russell, opening the door. "You guys go ahead and meet the others. I'll go talk to that sack of crap Antonio" -"What about the nurse?" asked Alice, shocked. "You promised you'd call her, dammit!" Russell turned around and helped Rob exit the car. "You're right, kid. I'll leave him with her and get back to this piece of shit". A deep voice with a Latino accent came from the wooden hut. "Can't catch me, pendejo!" screamed the voice. "Fuck off, Antonio" said Russell, walking away from the jeep. The other man became quiet and went back to stduying the perimeter. "Howdy there" said a voice in front of Alice. She turned and saw a middle aged man with a brown coat and a shirt. His face was round, and his hair short. A short stubble rounded his wide chin. "I'm Craig. Gossip went around the dining table that Russell brought some new guys in. You must be one of them" he said. Alice nodded, surprised to see more people. "Oh, don't be shy. I'll show you around" said Craig, guiding Alice behind him. "Just don't get in trouble with the others. Some people over here can be a bit... different. Stay away from those" -"Is Ethan one of those 'stay-away from' people here?" asked Alice. Craig stopped and turned pale. "Don't talk to him. Don't try to be with him. Stay away from Ethan" he said, turning at the girl. "What do you guys have against him? Russell hates him, you hate him..." said Alice. -"Oh, I don't hate him persay..." said Craig. "I just... don't really like being with him. He's one of those people you'd better stay away from. Just stay with the others and make friends and stuff, but keep out from Ethan's room. Don't disturb him" Alice nodded and kept walking behind the man, watching the rooms and cabins around the grassy plaza. They all looked clean and neat. It was strange to see something so safe and good after being in the wild with two men for three months. "So, who do I hang out with, then?" asked Alice, still admiring the place. "Eh, well, there's Russell, he's cool, there's my wife, there's my kids, there's Deanna, there's Janet, there's..." Craig took a pause and kept thinking. "There's Don, Heather, there's Jillian and there's Linda. And, well, me. So, you got a pretty good group of friends. Just remember, only call Ethan for dinner or a meeting. Nothing else" Finally, they took a turn and found a terrace where a large group of people were dining. They sat on a long wooden table, where they ate chicken and carrots. They all chatted away until Craig called their attention. "Everyone! Everyone!" he screamed. They all went quiet and stared at Alice, making her blush. "She's Alice, that new girl everyone talked about. Say hi, don't be rude" Cast Starring: *Alice *Delmont * *Rob *Russell Also Starring: *Craig *Antonio *Deanna (No Lines) *Cheryl (No Lines) *Don (No Lines) *Heather (No Lines) *Ethan (No Lines) Deaths None. Trivia *First appearance of Craig *First appearance of Cheryl *First appearance of Antonio *First mention of Don *First mention of Heather *First mention of Jillian *First mention of Janet *This issue is the first in which Delmont does not star since his first appearance. *This issue marks the end of the forest arc and starts the Alfreda Manor arc. Category:Rot and Rise Category:Issues Category:Juan